Water Damage – Residual Damage Claim – Michigan RAQUEL STEFFES asked 8 months ago
Water Damage – Residual Damage Claim – Michigan

My family member recently found a water leak in the wall of a bedroom closet. Mold had begun to form. It is not easy to determine the source of the leak without opening up the wall completely so we are waiting for the Adjuster from the Insurance Co to come out this week. The Adjuster has ‘warned’ us that if the damage is caused due to what she is calling “negligent maintenance” then it is not a coverable loss. The source of the leak is most likely the gutter, followed by the roof, and then some loose bricks where the mortar has been worn away. (PS we do have receipts for recent brick ‘tuck pointing”).

If the damage is determined to be caused by negligence in any of those 3 instances, is she entitled to a claim that covers her beyond the source? So, perhaps she has to fix the gutter, but is she entitled to a claim that repairs the wet dry wall and remediates the area of mold entirely? (She has mold coverage up to $10,000). Her deductible is $1000 — and the repairs could extend past that amount.

1 Answers
Kristofer Griffith Kristofer Griffith Expert answered 8 months ago

All of this depends on how the policy was written and should be reviewed thoroughly.

Often the mitigation, remediation, and repair would be covered and the gutter would not.

If the walls are wet then some of this mitigation and repair should fall under water damage and the cleaning and containment of mold would be placed under the mold coverage.